Disease Ridge

Riding quality was:

Good

Snow conditions were:

• Crusty
• Powder
• Wind affected

We rode:

• Alpine slopes
• Mellow slopes
• Open trees
• Steep slopes

We stayed away from:

• Convex slopes

The day was:

• Cloudy
• Stormy
• Windy

Avalanche conditions

• 30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.
• Whumpfing or drum-like sounds or shooting cracks.

Variable winds from moderate to strong SE distributed 20+ cm of storm snow with lots of spatial variation over surfaces including MFcr, near surface facets, and surface hoar. In locations where crossloading was occuring, the new storm slabs approached medium stiffness and shooting cracks several metres long radiated from ski tips. Ski cuts easy in steep terrain on various asp.

Direct lee of ribs and ridges developed slabs to 45cm during course of day at elevations above 2000m. Temos dropped during the day leaving right-side up snow in orotected areas.

Compression tests at 2000m on various asp showed variable results: N and NW produced easy drops on mid-March crust/facet combo; 180222 MFcr failing on hard ct RP on these asp down 70-90. On W asp 180222 MFcr failing hard but sudden planar down 81 with blocks sliding off on 25 degree slope. Failure in all cases were 2mm rounding facets over the crust. About 50cm of solid pencil to 1 finger bridging overlies the 180222 MFcr.

Loose dry with some entrainment in steep trees down to 1800m W asp.